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Liverpool FC Transfer News: Buvac and Klopp Track Serbian Wonderkid

Liverpool will have to fend off interest from struggling Chelsea and Serie A side Inter to secure Red Star Belgrade's towering Marko Grujić.

He's the one on the left.
He's the one on the left.
Hannah Peters/Getty Images

It's almost that special time of year again that makes eyes light up in the hope. Yes, the January transfer window is less than four weeks away, which means that one or two transfer whispers might actually come true. If Liverpool fans have really been good this year, maybe the Normal One will deliver a shiny new player or true to help Liverpool avoid slipping up against the likes of Newcastle.

According to a report from the usually reliable and well-connected Paul Joyce of the Daily Express, Liverpool are looking at a talented teenager who would cost only £3 million up front. Marko Grujić is 19-years-old and plays as a central midfielder for Red Star Belgrade. Željko Buvač—Jürgen Klopp's number two—is believed to be quite familiar with the Serbian teenager, and it's not uncommon for coaches and managers to keep tabs on players in and around their region of origin. Whether that's the case in this instance is unknown, but Liverpool will have to beat Chelsea and Inter to the player.

Liverpool's scouts reportedly watched Grujić score in a convincing victory over the weekend before meeting the player and his agent for a presumably cordial chat. One imagines a small round table replete with tea and biscuits for everyone to enjoy while the business of joining England's most successful side and the Premier League's most charismatic manager was being discussed. Or not. Merseyside's finest are prepared to loan the youngster back to Red Star Belgrade—Serbia's most successful club—for the remainder of the season.

Apparently the kid is pals with Nemanja Matić, but if Matić is truly a friend, he'll tell Grujić that signing for Chelsea as a youngster really means signing for Vitesse or some other club for three years before making it elsewhere. The opportunity might arise to be bought back as a first-team player a year or two after being sold, just like Matić! A quick chat with Lazar Marković might not paint Liverpool in the best light, but Klopp might be planning to bring back Marković where he belongs anyway, which would give the on-loan winger incentive to talk his parent club up.

Red Star has a history of producing fantastic players, Jürgen Klopp has a track record of taking young players to the next level, and Liverpool has a club culture that encourages the promotion of young talent. Dejan Stanković, a former Red Star and Inter player, is working at Inter as a first-team coach and could give the Serie A club an advantage in securing any potential deal. Inter's recent struggles with hot prospects, however, should make Grujić and his agent wary of a move.

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